DOTr eyes private operator for North-South Commuter Railway by early 2026

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it is on track to award the operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) to a private concessionaire within the first half of 2026.

The agency recently concluded market sounding activities in Japan, the final leg of a global investor roadshow that also covered Singapore, France, and the Philippines. Officials said the sessions drew strong interest from both local and foreign participants, including Mitsubishi Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo Metro, Sumitomo Corp., and Alstom Japan.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the turnout reflects growing investor confidence in the %u20B1229-billion contract, which will cover the trains, depots, stations, guideways, electromechanical systems, and auxiliary facilities of the 147-kilometer railway.

“Parties will only attend and continue participating if they see that it’s a good project being put out together,” Batan said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), tapped as technical adviser for the project, expects the bidding process to open later this month or in early October and run for about six months. ADB officials estimate that the concession can be awarded by March or April next year.

The O&M agreement will have a concession period of 15 years, with pre-operations scheduled to begin in March 2026 and full operations targeted for January 2032. Once completed, the 35-station line will link Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna, reducing travel time from four hours to under three hours and serving up to 750,000 passengers daily.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the project’s timeline was slightly adjusted to give the agency more time to introduce the contract to potential bidders. The NSCR is also expected to interoperate with the Metro Manila Subway Project, particularly in the Bicutan to Calamba segment.

ADB official Siddhartha Shah said the bank is keen to support the process: “We look forward to welcoming partners who can join the government of the Philippines on this very important journey of creating world-class real assets and also running them with world-class quality.”